Even though, by this time, I was firmly entrenched in improv and the Un-Scripted Theater Company, this year was marked by my trip to Italy to see my play The Lake performed in Bologna. There I learned that it's possible to cringe at my own bad writing even in a language I don't speak. Still, it was a fabulous production that the audience seemed to really enjoy. I took a week or so to tool around Italy. The trip was highlighted by a drive to a castle in the Italian countryside while listening to Emmylou Harris, and few days at Cinque Terre:

I spent the better part of this year writing my novel, The Deadworks. I was able to do this because in March I left MerryMakers after almost 8 years and spent the rest of the year generally unemployed and enjoying it. I went to Woodstock, NY for a month on a writing retreat at Byrdcliffe where I finished the first draft of the novel. Then in the fall I worked a whole season of Ren Faire and followed it up with an award-winning turn in the Crummles at Dickens Faire. While at Byrdcliffe, the other artists nicknamed the spot on the lawn where I did most of my writing "Boggy Hollow". Then one of the painters made me this lovely sign:

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In 1789, the governor of Australia granted land and some animals to James Ruse in an experiment to see how long it would take him to support himself. Within 15 months he had become self sufficient. The area is still known as Experiment Farm. This is my Experiment Farm to see how long it will take me to support myself by writing.